Haywire's protagonist, Mallory Kane (Gina Carano, a real-life mixed martial arts star) lives and works in ethically murky territory. She's employed by a firm that subcontracts jobs—assassinations, kidnappings, that sort of thing—from the US government. So, naturally, she has to die. After running around Europe for a bit, Kane is framed and disavowed, marked for assassination and hunted like a wounded animal. Haywire bounces between genres—spy, action, intrigue, revenge—at a rapid clip, punctuated with just enough exposition to grease the engine of kick-assery. It's stuffed with all the clichéd dialogue and cheap action thrills you expect. The fighting is especially impressive: mean, dirty, and lightning fast. (PAUL CONSTANT)